- Checkout Our Top Pick Of Best Portable Ssd For Lap. Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – USB 3.0 for PC Laptop, Mac, Xbox.
- If you have a Mac running macOS High Sierra or later, you may consider converting your external solid-state drive or USB flash drive to Apple File System (APFS). Optimized for all-flash storage, APFS features strong encryption, space sharing, fast directory sizing, and improved file system fundamentals.
The closest alternative to a Thunderbolt 3 drive is a USB-C version, as they also.
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is the external drive you need on your Mac.
Or maybe you have the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable.
They are both Compact and Fast.
But you have one nagging thought in your mind.
It’s ExFAT formatted out of the box.
And is that ok for your Mac?
Or are you going to need to change it? And if you do. What do you change it too?
It doesn’t matter if you’ve a new SanDisk Portable SSD or thinking of getting one.
You’ll find in this article the things to consider when you’re deciding…
What is the best format for your SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD For Your Mac?
And example spots you might find yourself in.
OK, So Tell Me Which Is The Best
What format you pick depends on what you’re planning to use your SanDisk Portable SSD drive for.
Whyyy?
Some formats are better for some things. For example. Time Machine will only backup to a certain Mac format.
Read on and choose which is the best for you. And how you plan to use your SanDisk SSD Portable drive.
What About Sticking With The Extreme SSD Portable Out Of The Box Format?
Your SanDisk Extreme Portable. Or Pro Portable SSD arrives in its box with ExFAT formatting.
Now that’s a format both your Mac and a Windows PC can read and write to right away.
Great you’re thinking I’ll go with that.
But just before you frolic off into the sunset.
It’s ExFAT alright but it’s a – master boot record.
A Mac and a Windows PC can read and write to it. And this is likely fine if you’re mainly using on a PC. And NOT OFTEN sharing on a Mac.
But if you’re using between the two types of computers more than that. Then it’ll be well worth your time reformatting.
Format as ExFAT sure but choose GUID Partition Map as the scheme rather than Master Boot Record. PC’s are fine with ExFAT and Master Boot Records as scheme.
But your Mac?
Not so much.
Your Mac will be happier in the long run and you won’t be risking odd. Can’t place my finger on it errors.
Especially when you’ve a lot of your files on there. And THEN its not as easy to reformat it.
Save time and stress.
Reformat as ExFAT and use the GUID Partition Map scheme.
Are You Only Using Your SSD SanDisk Portable On Newer Macs?
And by that I mean a MacBook Pro that is dated 2017 or later. Or a MacBook Air from 2018. Or an iMac from 2016 or later. https://truesfiles571.weebly.com/if-i-fail-road-test-3-times-in-wv-what-happens.html.
Because they’ll be running at least High Sierra Mac OS 10.13. And that operating system understands using solid state drives (SSD’s). And the APFS – Apple File System format. So APFS will be the best format to use.
They’ll also have USB C ports that can start to take advantage. – Depending on the year your Mac was made. – Of the speed of the SanDisk SSD Portable drives.
One caveat.
If you plan to use your SanDisk Extreme Portable. Or Pro Portable SSD for Time Machine. This is the one exception.
If this is you. Read on. Lower down this article you’ll find the best format for Time Machine.
No Time Machine. And want the speed of your SSD drive to store your photos. Or HD videos. Or run compute intensive software programs right from the drive.
Then APFS is the best format to pick.
Format as APFS and the scheme as GUID Partition.
Plugging In Your SanDisk Portable SSD To Newer And Older Macs and MacBooks
Where some of your Macs will be running older releases of the Mac operating system. Then APFS is likely not for you.
Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and this format is also know as HFS+ is the right one to pick.
This is because older Macs will know and use this file system format happily.
It’s a file system that’s been around since 2007. And your older Mac will use it as its main file system format on its internal drives.
One thing to keep in mind.
Your older Mac may have USB type A 2.0 ports.
So what? You ask.
My SanDisk Portable ships with an adaptor. And USB is backwards compatible.
True.
But Mac’s back then. And their USB ports weren’t designed for the power draw of SSD’s. And your Mac’s USB port powers your SanDisk Extreme Portable. And your Extreme Pro Portable.
Your older Mac with a USB 2.0 port won’t be able to power your SanDisk SSD.
You’ll need a USB hub with its own independent power.
Your SanDisk can take its power from that. And then your older Mac will use your SanDisk Extreme Portable with glee.
And for you moving your SSD drive between older and newer Macs. The format to pick is Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and Scheme is GUID Partition Map.
Best For Using SanDisk Extreme Portable Between Your Mac And Windows PC
ExFAT is the best format to choose if this is your need.
As both Mac and Windows PCs can read and write to an ExFAT drive.
Unless you plan to share the whole drive.
Then ideally, create an ExFAT partition that you share. We all know that PC’s are prone to getting virus’.
And at least then any issues are corralled in one of the partitions.
You can have one partition for Mac as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS. And that partition you use only for Mac.
And another as ExFAT as the partition you share.
Format as ExFAT. And do this formatting on your Mac. And choose GUID Partition Map as scheme.
Best Format For A Time Machine Backup On Your SanDisk Extreme Portable
Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is the right choice here.
And this is because Time Machine will only backup to a drive formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Just be sure your Time Machine partition is at least twice the size of the files you’re backing up.
Using Your SanDisk Extreme Portable On A Mac As A Boot Drive
Route 66 gpx file. It’s best you use APFS. Or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) depending on the operating system you’re running.
Running an OS that’s before High Sierra. Mac OS 10.13?
Then format your SanDisk Extreme SSD Portable. Or Pro Portable SSD as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Is your Mac is running a later operating system? Then you can format as APFS.
If Your Mac can’t run Mac OS 10.13 then it won’t understand APFS formatted external drives. Never mind boot from then.
What’s Best On A SanDisk Portable SSD For A Clone Drive
When you need to clone an internal drive on your Mac. Or another external drive what’s the format right choice?
Look at the format the drive is in now and use that. Because when you clone that is how the drive will be written to anyway.
Cloning is a copy.
So if your Mac is an older Mac with a hard drive inside. It’ll be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Format your SanDisk Extreme SSD as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to match.
Is your Mac a newer Mac with SSD drives inside?
Then it’ll be running APFS formatted drives. Format your SanDisk Portable as APFS.
Cloning an external drive running on your Mac?
Then your format your SanDisk Extreme SSD Portable to match it. Whether it is formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Or ExFAT. Or APFS.
In Conclusion
And there you have it. Your choices and the best format to pick for your MacBook Pro, Air or iMac. And the different ways you can use your SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD. Or SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable.
And now you’ve chosen your best format. https://trueofil759.weebly.com/office-pro-plus-2013-keygen.html.
Are you ready to format your SanDisk? `You can learn how. With words, pictures and a video in the formatting article below.
Enjoy your SSD drive.
Related Articles
For those who chose a MacBook over an ordinary laptop must be short for some storage space, right? Well, upgrading storage space through apple is as costly as purchasing a new laptop. In this case, an external hard drive is less expensive and beneficial for storage requirements.
You can switch your external hard drive from a Mac to a pc which makes data transfer for two different OS easier. Furthermore, external hard disks are less likely to get corrupted and are portable in nature.
Macbooks generally have SSDs which are capable of loading a program quickly but more likely to low on storage.
Furthermore, SSDs are quite costly and upgrading an SSD on a Macbook is definitely costlier than you could even imagine. An external hard drive is best for storing data such as photos, videos, movies, rendered projects and more.
Contents
- 1 10 Best External Hard Drives for MacBook in 2020
- 1.3 3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)
- 1.4 4. Western Digital My Book (8 TB)
- 1.5 5. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt
- 1.6 6. G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)
- 1.7 7. Adata SD700 External SSD
- 1.8 8. LaCie Rugged USB-C
- 1.9 9. Samsung X5 (1TB)
- 1.10 10. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive
- 2 What things to consider while buying External Hard Drive For Mac?
- 3 External Hard Drive Vs SSD: Which one is good for MacBook Pro?
10 Best External Hard Drives for MacBook in 2020
Although choosing an external hard drive is a complicated process but we have made a list of 10 best external hard drives for Mac that you should consider before your final decision.
1. Samsung Portable SSD T5
Starting off Samsung Portable SSD T5 which is an outstanding storage device, it can reach up to a speed of 550 MB per second for data transfer which is amazing. You can directly plug it into a USB-C port or USB-A port.
It contains no moving parts therefore chances of getting damaged due to mishandling are less. Even though SSD is costlier than a hard drive, the speed it offers is commendable. You will notice a significant boost in the overall performance while doing stuff that requires you to load large files and programs.
Overall, the SSD is fantastic but only if you can spare a few more bucks than your actual budget. You can get the SSD ranging from 250 GB to 2 TB from Amazon with some additional discounts.
2. Western Digital My Passport 4TB external hard drive
Western Digital My Passport 4TB external hard drive is the newest generation of external hard disks and is available in capacities from 1 TB to up to 4 TB. It offers cloud storage and 256-AES encryption alongside WD’s software for backups.
The data transfer speeds won’t disappoint you and the drive offers speed similar to what an SSD provides. If you are looking for a drive with good data transfer rate and maximum storage, consider Western Digital My Passport 4TB as a choice.
3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)
If you are looking for a reliable, portable, and affordable hard disk, Seagate backup plus slim is the thing you should have a look at. It supports Windows and Mac both and perfect for storing your essential data right away.
With the Seagate dashboard backup system, you can schedule backups and never lose your important files anymore. Backup automation can be set for daily, monthly, weekly or your desired time-frequency.
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Alongside, Seagate also provides a two-month membership for adobe creative cloud photography plan and a one-year subscription to Mylio create to manage your photo library.
- Affordable price
- Metal body
- Supports USB 3.0
- Comes with an automation backup software
- Doesn’t support USB 3.0 cables
4. Western Digital My Book (8 TB)
This Hard disk is probably for creators and organizations that require a lot of storage for various purposes. Faster data transmission rate will let you transfer data in the meantime, all thanks to USB 3.0 support.
It also offers 256 AES encryption for securing your data and makes sure your personal data is secured in the storage device. Even though it meets the requirements of a regular user, the only thing where Western Digital My Book (8 TB) lacks is portability.
Therefore, if you are looking for a hard disk for work purposes and if portability is not an issue, Western Digital My Book (8 TB) is definitely the right choice.
- High storage
- Data encryption
- Compatible with the time machine
- Requires power source to work
- Not portable
5. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt
Buffalo MiniStation thunderbolt offers data transmission at a speed of twice of what USB 3.0 offers. You can enjoy this feature if your device has a thunderbolt port. Another good thing about Buffalo MiniStation thunderbolt is its price. It is affordable and portable.
- Also Check: 10 Best Cooling Pads For MacBook Pro Reviewed
However, it is a hard drive, not a solid-state, therefore, the data transmission will definitely be high but the overall performance of your pc will remain unchanged. Lastly, if you don’t have a thunderbolt port in your pc, you can use the traditional USB 3.0 port.
- USB 3.0 port
- Affordable
- Formatted for Mac
- Not a Solid State drive
6. G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)
With the new products, Apple is on its way to completely shift to USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports but there are still some people who are using old hardware and for them, G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB) is going to work like a charm.
The body of the HDD is made up of metal which makes it durable and strong against accidents such as dropping off the drive on the floor or whatnot. It runs at a speed of 7200 RPM and can transfer data at a rate of 195 MB/s which is efficient for transferring music, videos and software.
- Metallic body for durability
- High data transmission rate
- USB 3.0
- Should be reformatted for Windows OS
7. Adata SD700 External SSD
Adata SD700 is an affordable External SSD which is IP68 rated which certainly makes it a water-resistant storage device. The overall performance of this SSD is commendable and as per our research, Adata SD700 External SSD is the only SSD with an IP68 rating.
You can expect faster transfer rates and better booting speed if you are planning to install an OS on the SSD. Don’t worry about the storage space as it is available in 1 TB capacity also. The maximum read and write speed is up to 440 MB/S, all thanks to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface.
- Lightweight and portable
- Shock resistant
- Supports Android, Mac, and Windows
- 3 years of Warranty
- Mac users must format it to FAT32 to use this product
8. LaCie Rugged USB-C
Lacie rugged USB-C hard disk can be distinguished easily because of its unique rubber casing that makes sure your hard drive doesn’t get damaged when it drops from up to 1.3 m height. It can withstand rain, dust and can even survive 1-ton pressure. This is certainly the best choice for content creators.
Alongside hard disk, you will also get access to a one-month subscription to Adobe creative cloud all apps plan. The company also provides 3 years of warranty for the device and will also help you to restore the data if lost.
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In terms of speed, Lacie rugged USB-C hard disk is not very fast as it provides only 120 MB/s which is comparatively lesser than the HDDs mentioned in this listicle. However, there are various variants available for this hard disk on Amazon.
- Durability
- Affordable
- Resistant to water
- Lesser data transmission speed
9. Samsung X5 (1TB)
Samsung never disappoints with its amazing hardware capabilities. With Samsung X5, you can transfer data at a rate of 2,300 MB/s which is the fastest speed an SSD can provide you. The build quality is super amazing as it is made up of metal, making it stronger than storage disks that are made up of plastic bodies.
The shock-resistant capability can save up your drive from a fall of 2 meters. Alongside this, it comes with Thunderbolt 3 technology that is ideal for faster data transfer of up to 40 GB per second which is unbelievable. You can take full advantage of this SSD on your MacBook or Macbook pro without having to format anything.
- High data transmission rate
- Supports thunderbolt 3
- Shock-resistant up to 2 meters
- Heats up really quick
- Comparatively expensive than the other disks
10. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive
In terms of flexibility, Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive is really good as it supports both Mac and windows out of the box. The disk doesn’t get damaged due to dust and water which is again a positive point.
It encrypts the user data at 256 bit AES security which additionally makes everything on the drive, secure. Overall, it is a great drive for Mac owners as well as windows owners too.
- Secure for handling user data
- Protects from water and dust
- Low-speed data transfer
What things to consider while buying External Hard Drive For Mac?
So those were some of the best external hard disk drive solutions for Mac. However, you must be confused about which external HDD to choose. But not to worry, let me just point some of the key factors that you need to consider while buying an external hard drive:
1. Storage
One of the first and the most important thing that you need to consider is the storage space of your external HDD. As you already know that Macbook does not come with a huge space. Hence, you better choose something which offers you enough space to store all your files.
For many users, 1 TB of space should be good enough. But if you need to store a huge number of files and save them for a longer period of time, then getting 2TB of HDD would be an ideal choice.
Apart from 1TB and 2TB of storage options, you can also consider getting huge storage options like 4TB. But for a day to day work, 4TB of HDD does not help much. Also, they are quite expensive.
Best External Ssd For Mac
2. Transfer speed
After the storing capacity, transfer speed is the second most important thing that you have to consider. You don’t want to get an external hard disk drive for Mac, which takes too long to copy files. Instead, you need something that can get the job done as quickly as possible.
So the first thing that you must do is avoid USB 2.0 powered external HDD. As they are outdated and not fast enough. Instead, you should get an external HDD with USB 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.2 Gen 1. All of these are capable of offering an exceptional transfer speed. On the other hand, I would like to recoomend you to buy the best external SSD for Mac that offers good transfer speed.
3. Compatibility
The next thing you need to check its compatibility. External HDD formatted for Windows 10 may have connectivity issues with Mac OS and vise versa. So since you are using a Mac powered machine, I would recommend you to get an external HDD with Mac OS compatibility.
Axl google drive. Although there is no need to focus on the compatibility part way too much. Since you can always format your external HDD using a Windows Computer with exFat Format. So you can easily use the HDD with your Macbook. But yes, if you get a pre compatible external hard disk drive then it saves you from extra work and headaches that you have to face.
Best Portable Ssd For Mac
4. Security
If you are someone who takes security really seriously, then you must look for security features. Most of the manufacturers do ship security software and backup software. So you can easily encrypt your drive or take a backup of it. Even, if you don’t consider encryption feature, backup feature is something that you must and should consider.
Even to make sure your HDD stays safe, they use strong casing from physical damage. So you can consider getting such external hard disk drives that save you from every side.
External Hard Drive Vs SSD: Which one is good for MacBook Pro?
Whenever it comes to a primary storage solution for computers, HDD and SSD’s are the only solutions we have. However, in the last couple of years, the usage of HDD has dropped drastically, and people are not moving to SSD’s for better performance.
But there are quite a lot of users who are still unaware of the difference between a hard disk drive and a solid state drive or SSD.
However, not to worry, let me just draw a quick difference between both and help you to understand better.
1. Storage Capacity
HDD’s are a great option if you want something for storage. HDD’s are available in a wide range of storage capacities like from 500GB to 12 TB. Even, for enterprise uses, you will find a large capacity of HDDs.
SSDs are also available with large capacities. However, when it comes to the costing of an SSD and an HDD, SSDs are quite expensive. Hence, if your main goal is to store huge amount of data, HDD is an ideal choice.
2. Speed
Whenever it comes to speed, SSDs are a better option. Since a hard disk drive uses a round plate with a layer of magnetic material. And the data is stored on this magnetic layer only. So the disk spins and the magnetic head is used for reading and writing data.
Also, the speed that the disk spins is measured in RPM. And on an average, an HDD has about 5,400 RPM, and it will have a read/write speeds of around 100 MB/s.
However, when it comes to SSD’s, there are no moving parts. As a result, it offers you a much faster data transfer rate. On average, it offers you around 550 MB/s and 520 MB/s of data transfer rate.
3. Reliability & Durability
There are quite a lot of factors that determine the lifespan of drivers. However, you should know that an SSD can sustain a limited number of write cycles compared to HDD which has no read/write limits.
But you should know that SSD has a write cycle limit between 3000 and 10,000 which is a high number. So it would not be a problem for you.
Also, SSD’s are lesser affected by any sort of damages compared to HDD. Since there are no moving parts in SSD, they tend to survive more. While HDD’s might stop working if it encounters any physical damage.
3. Cost
Finally, let’s talk about pricing. Well, if you look at the cost of both HDD and SSD, you would happily pick up an HDD. Why? Because SSD’s are expensive. When you choose an HDD, you will get a large amount of capacity for a lesser price. But on the other hand, if you choose an SSD, it would cost you 3-5x of an HDD price.
In the end, the conclusion is HDD’s are a better option when it comes to storing data. Of course, SSD’s are faster and more reliable. But they do come with a high price. But on the other hand, if you take care of your HDD in a good manner, it will offer you great performance for years.
Wrapping it up:
So, these were the 10 best external hard drives for Macbook Air and Pro. Every disk mentioned in this article has its own pros and cons, we have tried our best to list out the good and bad in every product. For Mac users, external SSD can be really helpful for storing content and transferring it to a different place.